


In the Flames of the Forge

by Cuidightheach



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Forced Marriage, Gardens, M/M, Soulmate AU, Spirit World, im really quite sorry, magic? magic., pretty himbos, sokka is so bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25248787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuidightheach/pseuds/Cuidightheach
Summary: It would have been bad if it had been anybody else, but Zuko was... Zuko. And they were friends. And really, the Fire Nation was pretty, if you turned your head and squinted a bit. So, it couldn't be that bad.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 126





	In the Flames of the Forge

“WHAT???” Katara was enraged, her hair fluffed up, ice forming on her hands. 

“Katara, the choice has already been made. Besides, it’s your brother’s life that will change, not yours,” Their father was trying to reason with her, but he was already tired from his long nights of travel, and her bending could tear their whole village down with the amount of distress she was in. Sokka forced himself to stand, and he placed his hand on her arm. 

“It’s alright Katara,” he said, but his voice was thick with confusion and betrayal. “I’ll go back with you Dad.” 

Katara looked at him with disdain and fear. “No! Sokka, you can’t go-you can’t leave me.” She broke down, tears sliding off her face and floating to the ground softly. 

“You’re going with Aang anyways Katara. Besides, it’s just Zuko. We know him, he’s Aang’s friend-our friend. It’s just like Dad said, it’s just some bureaucratic nonsense. It’ll be for looks, and I have a plan.” Sokka smoothed his hands over her arms, and she shuddered but nodded. 

“I trust you, I do, but it sounds so-” she cut herself off, and Sokka grimaced. It did sound bad. It sounded awful, actually. He had hoped that “Ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe,” would be the title his father would bring back for him. Not… whatever the hell this was. 

Their father stood over them now, not quite touching them but close enough. “I did the best I could. The Earth Kingdom has ties to the Fire Nation through their colonies, but there are no reasons for the Fire citizens to care about us without a significant link-no matter what any peace treaty claims.” Sokka nodded, and he sighed into Katara’s hair. If he was being honest with himself, the initial shock had worn off already, and now it seemed a little bit like a game. Get the Fire Nation to fall in love with the Water Tribe… sure, easy. Katara still clutched to his parka and sobbed wetly into his chest.

“Katara, shh. It’s fine, I’m fine! Hey, maybe I’ll even stop Zuko from making stupid declarations of war or something. Besides! Suki is there!” He tried to be enthusiastic, and it sounded only a little dull in his ears. “We just saw him Katara. He’s probably just as aggravated as you.” They had just seen him, and they had just helped him find his mother. Only a month ago, which really wasn’t that long. They had probably been together while the treaty was being signed. Sokka groaned to himself. Zuko must be giving Iroh hell. 

Katara was still clearly upset, but she had stopped crying. “I suppose it will be okay, with Suki there, and Piandao,” she snuffled, “but you won’t be able to leave for months-maybe years.” 

“And you and Aang will visit me every few weeks, and you don’t know that I won’t be able to leave- maybe if I ask Zuko-”

“You’ll have to ask. It’s practically slavery.” 

“Katara.”

“Fine.” She pushed his shoulders away from her, breaking their hug. “I’m going to be mad about this though. You can’t stop me.”

“I wouldn’t even think of it.” Sokka smiled at her, and she smiled back until she realized her mistake. Then, she hit him on the arm and stomped out of their hut, her hair and her scarf trailing behind her. Sokka turned his eyes to his father and straightened his back, trying his best to look brave.

“When are we leaving?”  
\- The trip took three days and four nights, and Sokka was already exhausted from the pampering by day two. Several Imperial maids twittered around him, asking him if he needed a warm towel, or tea, or a bath, or a beauty treatment, or candles, or any other variety of things he could possibly need. He had never travelled so luxuriously in his life. It wasn’t saying a lot, considering the last two years had been filled with too-cold sleeping bags, foraged food and Appa hair, but it was still overwhelming. Once, he tried to spar with a guard on the ship, and within five minutes he was carted off to an infirmary to treat what could barely pass as a papercut. 

Katara and Aang travelled with them, but they were distracted by each other, which gave Sokka the oogies, and Katara was still actively sulking anytime he got near. The only distraction to the stifling babying of the staff were the late night discussions with his father and the tantalizing meals that the kitchen concocted, but even those couldn’t fully shake him of his anxieties. Needless to say, he felt all at once grateful and terrified when their ship came to port. 

There was no procession that met him or his family on the docks, only a messenger and a few burly guardsmen who carried supplies and luggage. Sokka himself had only brought his homely leather pouch, and most of the other items were gifts or goods. The messenger instructed them to meet at the grounds of the Palace, and Appa took them all there directly. Sokka hoped that the extra time would give him space to talk with Zuko, but luck was not with him. As soon as his feet met the ground, he was whisked away by a swarm of maids, and it was there that dread began to knot in his stomach. 

They coated his hair with treatments that smelled of sulfur, covered him in ashy soap, scrubbed him in places he hadn’t even considered scrubbing, like between his toes and behind his ears. It was like being thrown in a whirlpool, scents coating him, hair freshly cut and pulled back tightly into a Fire Nation top-knot, and completed with aggressively red ribbons. His cheeks were pinched, his lips coated in something sweet smelling which buzzed on his skin, and his fingernails were filed down until he couldn’t feel the ragged edges he had bitten down with nerves. It was all at once relaxing and horrifying, especially when he caught his own reflection in the mirror and saw his face looking sultry and sophisticated rather than tough and wind-bitten. His bright eyes popped against the ash that had been smeared around his lash line, and his mouth looked like it was raw, as though it had been bitten. His stomach was churning now, and with every complicated step of the process he wanted more and more to find Zuko so that they could conspire to murder whoever’s idea this was.

He spotted Suki in the hallway outside the door as he was being draped in light gauzy fabrics, and his spirits soared.

“Suki!” He shouted, and she raised a hand, but didn’t come near. He moved to step down from the platform he was on, but a maid “tsked” at him, and he sighed. “Suki c’mere, I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

There was something hidden behind her smile that Sokka didn’t like, but she came in anyways, so he ignored it. He also ignored the sounds of annoyed maids as he pushed his way through their arms to embrace his girlfriend, and he smiled as he smelled her makeup and felt her arms around him. _This is home._ He thought. 

“I’ve missed you so much, and nobody around here has been telling me anything, I feel like I’m drowning,” Sokka started to lean in to kiss her, but she stopped him with a careful hand on his chest. “Wha-”

“I don’t want to mess up your outfit, it’s important,” was all she said, but it felt like something entirely different to Sokka. “You look great,” she continued as if she hadn’t just pulled all the air from Sokka’s lungs. 

“Uh… thanks.” He dropped her from his grip and stepped back, awkwardness filling in the gap between them. “I’ll let you get back to work then.” He watched as she nodded and slid out the door. 

“That girl should know better,” Sokka thought he heard one of the maids mutter conspiratorially, but he couldn’t be sure over the sound of his heart breaking.

-

Zuko was sitting on his throne when he entered the room. His hair was past his shoulders now, and it looked clean and sharp rather than the scruffy mess Sokka remembered. The upper half was twisted into a severe bun, leaving his scar on full display. Zuko, Sokka noticed bitterly, did not look to be wearing makeup or any special clothing, and he didn’t have maids clinging to the train of his robes. Sokka decided that he did not at all like being handled. 

“Ah, wonderful!” A voice echoed from the shadows and a hulking figure stepped out. “I am Donzao, right hand of the crown by order of Prince Iroh. It is lovely to meet you.” 

“Flameo Hotman.” Aang muttered to himself in mockery, and Sokka started, not realizing that they had joined him in the great hall. 

“This connection between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe has been the talk of the palace for weeks, and we do so hope that you are treated with the utmost care and hospitality. Furthermore, I hope you respect the boundaries and rules of the ceremony as though you are a true Fire Nation citizen, in order to honor our practices.” The man did not seem unkind, and his face was marked by smile lines, but Sokka took offense to the idea that he would ignore the rules just to piss off the Fire Nation. That was the opposite of why he was here. 

“Okay, great. What are the rules,” Sokka voiced, and the man, Donzao, looked shocked. 

“Firstly,” he said, recovering, “it is very unusual for a commoner to speak out of turn. And I will have the list clearly written for you and delivered to your handmaids. You will have the evening to prepare and memorize the intricacies before the ceremony tomorrow. We will hold it at dawn, as is tradition. And you may now kneel before your Fire Lord.” 

“Knee-” A hand clasped his shoulder and Sokka closed his mouth, remembering the “rule” he had just been given. Then, he walked up to the raised platform and got to his knees, struggling to keep the fabric from going under his feet and tripping him. When he looked up, Zuko was not smiling at this foolishness like Sokka had expected, and instead his eyes burned with anger. Dark circles marred his face, and he was frowning at Sokka as though this was all his fault. Sokka felt the shame of it zap through him, and he hung his head. In an instant, he was being pulled to his feet by a strong, familiar hand on his arm. 

“I’m going to fucking kill them for this,” Zuko whispered into his ear, low enough that only they could hear. Sokka tried to reassure him that it was alright, but the Fire Lord was already gone. 

-

Ursa was the only good thing that happened all day. When she entered the room Sokka had been squirreled away to and dismissed the maids that still puttered around him, Sokka let out a hearty sigh of relief. 

“They’re hard to get used to, I know. You can ask them to leave at any time,” she said, sitting on a pillow near a low table. She motioned for him to join her. “I remember being in nearly that exact outfit,” she said, fingering the light fabric. 

“Can you tell me what to expect, I’ve never been so confused in my life,” Sokka conceded, and she smiled at him with so much kindness that he started to feel, at least marginally, better. 

“Well, in the morning you’ll be stuffed into some lovely but admittedly heavy robes, and then you’ll be carted off to pledge loyalty to Zuko in body and mind. It’s not quite marriage, per say, but it functions as a bonding ritual that will tie you to the Fire Nation. You won’t be pledged to Zuko like I was to Ozai, just to the Nation.” Ursa acted like it wasn’t a horrifying betrayal of his autonomy to promise his loyalty to a Nation he was barely fond of. Ursa unraveled the scroll that lay on the table. 

“I know these rules. You may not speak with the Fire Lord before the ceremony, you must remain by his side during all public affairs. You must ask permission of the Fire Lord before you are allowed to use your spare time. Your hobbies must be approved by the Fire Lord. If you are found to be deceiving the Fire lord, you will be sentenced to treason and your contract will be nullified. You may not take any lovers or concubines who are not approved by the Fire Lord. Any contact you have with the outside world must be under supervision.” Ursa finished, the rule sheet rolling back up on its own. “They remain rather harsh.”

“Why can’t I talk to Zuko?” Sokka asked, laying his head on the table and trying his best not to sound morose. The rules explained many things, including Sukki’s cold interaction with him earlier. 

“Because it’s tradition,” she said sadly, and Sokka knew that she felt for him. “I’m not sure what Iroh meant to accomplish by enraging his nephew, but whatever it is, I support it. He’s always been a smart man,” she paused, placing a hand on Sokka’s, “and you are friends with Zuko, you will be alright.”

Sokka prayed that she was right.

-

He was roused before dawn by the same maids that had helped him the day before. They poured cool water over his face and dressed him in layer after layer of embroidered silk. There were four skirts in all, two robes with sleeves that hung low and brushed the floor, and three separate layers that wrapped around his waist and made it difficult to breathe. His hair was once again pulled into a top knot, but this time it was adorned with a delicate metal cage that dripped with rubies, and it looked like it cost more than everything Sokka had ever owned combined. 

He was ushered out into sprawling gardens that hid behind the palace, and into a gazebo that was covered in yellows and reds, hiding the inside from view. A circle of flame surrounded the outside, only dying down long enough for Sokka to step over it, and it glowed softly in the haze of the dawn. Inside the gazebo, Zuko stood, and for the first time since Sokka got there, they were alone. 

“Zuko,” Sokka breathed, relieved to see his friend without any chaperoning or decorum. “It’s good to see you buddy,” Sokka smiled, and Zuko smiled back. 

“Hey Sokka,” he replied, hugging him close. They pulled apart, gripping each other at the elbow, and Sokka felt better than he had all week. “I’m sorry for all this. You look strange when you’re not in blue.” Zuko’s gaze scanned over the intricate robes Sokka wore. “It’s not bad,” he retconned, and Sokka laughed. 

“I can imagine you in a parka, and I see what you mean,” Sokka agreed. 

“We don’t have very much time, but after the ceremony you can come to my rooms and we’ll talk, okay?” Zuko stepped away from Sokka and held out a hand. “Ready?” Sokka nodded, grabbed the hand and gasped as the whole gazebo burst into flames. 

“We have to-” Sokka was cut off by Zuko kneeling, which tugged on his arm. 

“Technically I’m supposed to stand while you kneel. Get down here.”

“What’s happening,” Sokka muttered, shying away from the sides of the small building. It was unbearably hot. 

“You have to trust me.” 

Sokka watched as the flames licked up the fabric drapes and devoured the white wood of the structure. He could barely see the sunrise in the east when the drapes fell away. There was fire underneath him, all around, but somehow he wasn’t burning. Zuko’s eyes were shut tightly, and he was whispering under his breath. Sokka clutched at Zuko’s robes until they too caught fire, and then he grasped for his hands, trying his best not to scream or run from the heat. He was just about to give up and pass out in the Fire Lord’s arms when a glowing figure appeared by his side. 

She was beautiful, all golden and brilliant. Her hair reminded Sokka distinctly of Yue, but instead of blinding white, it was onyx, and it draped over her shoulders and into the flames of the Gazebo. Sokka squeezed Zuko’s hands, and he heard Zuko gasp. 

“Spirit Taiyang,” Zoka spoke in awe, and Sokka tried to control his breathing. 

“You are an unusual pair.” A voice rang out, and though her mouth did not move, Sokka knew it was the spirit. “Moon Boy, offer me the love you have shown my sister and you will find what you lost.” Her gaze pierced Zuko. “Sun King.” His head lifted from where he had dipped it in reverence. “I am sorry,” she bent and kissed his scar, “that I could not stop it.” Zuko’s eyes were filled with tears, and it was an emotion Sokka had not often seen on his friend’s face.

Sokka’s body felt like it was buzzing, and the spirit placed her hands on their foreheads. In a snap, the spirit of the Sun was gone, and the boys were covered in the ash of the gazebo, their royal robes burnt to a crisp. Sokka half-carried Zuko out of the mess. 

“That,” Zuko coughed, shaking, “was not supposed to happen.”

They were met with a riotous party inside the Palace, with piles of meat and sweets that Sokka gratefully drowned in. Neither of them had time to change out of the ashy rags they were now wrapped in, and the guests of the Fire Nation seemed doubly pleased by their ragged appearance. “It’s a sign of our suffering,” Zuko had whispered when Sokka had asked when he could change. Sokka wasn’t sure their suffering really needed to be shown publicly to the Fire Nation Court, but nonetheless, the Sake flowed and the party raged until the sun started its slow descent for the evening. He got to sit with Katara for some time, and she didn’t seem half as upset as she had a week ago. Aang gripped him in a breakneck hug, muttering something about duality and spirits, which Sokka appreciated but honestly couldn’t hear over the music and laughter of the party. And then the day was over, and his family was gone, and the guests had left, tripping over themselves and praising the spirits for bountiful blessings. 

-

Sokka sighed as he slipped into the bath his maids, Zang and Fu, had run for him. Then, he slipped into a cozy day robe, tied his own hair back into its familiar wolf tail and padded down the hall to Zuko’s apartments. 

Zuko was sitting at a large ornate desk, his hands in his hair and his back filled with tension. There was ink spilled next to him, dripping from the table down onto the woven mats that decorated his floors. His room was enormous, with the same circular layout of Sokka’s, but twice as much space. There were candles everywhere, dripping soft wax onto the floor, the desk, every tabletop and every dresser. There were sconces on the walls that were wrought of black iron, and they didn’t hold any candles, just glowing orbs of fire. Their flickering was uncomfortable for Sokka, and it made the room feel like it was breathing.

“Zuko,” Sokka whispered, doing his best to not frighten his friend and get a flame dagger to the chest. Zuko jumped regardless. 

“Sokka, sorry,” the Fire Lord said. “It’s been a long day.”

“I know, it feels like I haven’t even seen you,” Sokka replied. “What… What happened today, during the ceremony.” 

Zuko hung his head again. A smear of ink was painted across his nose, and Sokka bit his tongue to keep from pointing it out. “I don’t know. The fire was normal, I think. But the spirit…” Sokka sat on the floor, his back against the bed frame. “I’ve seen her before.” Zuko finished, and he looked exhausted. The dark circle under his eye had deepened in the last day, and his scar looked red and agitated. He was only wearing soft house pants, and the scar on his chest looked equally raw.

“Where?” Sokka asked quietly, enjoying the peace of being alone with his friend instead of being dragged around by a million maids. He briefly glanced at the stacks of books and scrolls that littered all the surfaces of Zuko’s room. 

“When I was burned. Have I ever-” Zuko began, but he choked on his words. 

“It’s alright, you don’t have to,” Sokka said, but Zuko shook his head stubbornly. 

“I do.” Zuko dragged himself out of the chair and grabbed Sokka’s wrist, pulling both of them onto the bed, which was covered in dyed platypus bear furs and silks. “When I was thirteen, I told my father that his General was wasting resources by murdering soldiers. My father thought that by questioning his General, I was questioning him, and I was challenged to an Agni Kai. When I got into the ring, it wasn’t the General who met me- it was-” Zuko hung his head, and Sokka felt the wheels of his brain turn. 

“It was your father.” Sokka felt sick. He couldn’t imagine having to fight his own father for his honor. It was horrifying. Zuko nodded. “Did you fight?” Sokka asked, threading his fingers through the soft fur on the bed. 

“No. I asked for forgiveness, and promised that I meant no disrespect. And he told me it was weak to take back my words. And then…” Zuko gestured to his face, and Sokka gulped. 

“That’s horrible.”

“It was necessary. He was cruel, and I had to learn that lesson. It made me careful,” Zuko spoke softly, as if the secrets might float away from him if he voiced them too loudly. “But that’s not the point. That spirit was there when it happened. She saved my eye.” Zuko was so still in the flickering light, Sokka was sure his friend had turned to marble. 

“What does that mean?” Sokka asked, trying to find Zuko’s eyes, but Zuko was turned away from him, hiding within himself. 

“I don’t know. Aang probably has some ideas. Has he left already?” Zuko finally looked back up, and he looked like a mess. He was tired, and obviously shaken, his hair worried by his hands, his skin flushed. Sokka wanted to hold him, but he knew they weren’t like that, they weren’t close. 

“I think so. Katara said goodbye before I went back to change.” 

“Damn. I’ll send a hawk.” Zuko flopped back on his bed. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“For what?” Sokka asked fiddling with the tie of his robes. 

“For becoming a Fire Nation citizen.” Zuko replied, and Sokka shuddered. He had never ever imagined that he would become a part of the culture that he raged against as a child. They were colonizers and murderers, and now he sat among them, on the bed of the Fire Lord himself. He would definitely have to meditate on this later, before it consumed him whole. 

“Oh right. Thanks.” Sokka swallowed, and he flopped next to his friend, still brushing his hands on the soft pelts. They reminded him a little bit of home. “Hey Zuko, do I really have to follow all those rules? I mean, it’s fine if I do, but they’re a little bit…” 

“What?” Zuko laughed, and it sounded really, really nice. “Sokka it’s not like you’re my concubine or… whatever else. You’re my friend. I don’t care what you do, this is all just for looks right?” 

“Right.” 

“Besides, you’re also the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador, aren’t you? You can’t really obey my every order if we’re going to have meaningful discussions concerning the Southern Reconstruction project.” Zuko was playing with a handful of fire. 

“I am?” Sokka gulped, watching as the flame danced in Zuko’s fingers. It was pretty, and glowy, not at all like the image Sokka had of firebending in his mind. 

“Yes… Didn’t anybody tell you? Agni, the people here are incompetent. I’ll have someone bring you to your office tomorrow. I…” Zuko gulped harshly, as if his words pained him. “Need help.” 

“Oh,” Sokka replied, relieved and excited all at once. This was turning out to be much easier than he had expected. “Thank you.” 

Zuko looked at him sideways. “Thank me again and I will light you on fire. If you start to treat me like your Fire Lord instead of your friend, I’ll challenge you to an Agni Kai, and we both know that I’m a better swordsman than you. Don’t tempt me.” Zuko’s tone was sharp, but his eyes glittered with mirth, and Sokka couldn’t stop staring at them. 

“Alright, Lord Jerkbender. Your wish is my command,” Sokka joked, and Zuko shoved him hard with his non-flaming hand. They giggled together for a moment, and when silence folded over them, Sokka was the one to break it. “I can stay here tonight, if you want. My room doesn’t quite feel like home yet.” 

“No, that’s alright. I don’t want to keep you up.” Zuko looked pained, and they bid each other goodnight. Sokka’s fists clenched as he left the Fire Lord’s chambers. He could tell that something was wrong with Zuko, and as a loyal Fire Nation citizen, Sokka pledged to himself that he would figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Yo Yo Yo!! People who read works that aren't finished yet are Icons and deserve the world. Please accept this trash, there aren't enough good Sukka fanfics yet, so! Leave comments, Kudos, anything that suits your fancy. Love you all <3


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